Ashes of the Phoenix test excerpts
by Wild Ceteruler
Summary: Just a little test to see if you guys want more. R & R!
1. Chapter 1

Ashes of the Phoenix test excerpt

"And now, Ballista exclaimed gleefully, "to end this duel!"

**Bridget: 100**

**Ballista: 4800**

"I activate Cannon Soldier's effect and tribute him to inflict 500 points of Direct Damage to you!"

Turning, the cannoneer monster lit the wick of his enormous weapon and prepared to launch his final fusillade. "Not today, Ballista!" Bridget shouted. "I activate the Trap Card known as…Divine Wrath! By discarding one card from my hand, I can negate the effect of one Effect Monster on the field and destroy it!" A crackling portal opened in the sky, swirling with storm clouds and emitting hot bolts of lightning. With a sound like ripping paper, a massive shaft of electricity slammed into the Cannon Soldier, igniting the explosive shell within his cannon and tearing him apart in a loud explosion. "Not my Soldier!" Ballista cried feebly. "And it gets worse", Bridget continued. "When a Counter Trap such as Divine Wrath successfully negates one of your cards, I can Special Summon one of my favorite monsters straight from my hand. Join me in welcoming the conduit of your demise! Greet Van'Dalgyon the Dark Dragon Lord!"

A chilling roar echoed throughout the empty arena as an extradimensional gash was torn open by a stray bolt of divine lightning. An ebony hand grasped the side of the rift – if it could be called a hand! A miasma of darkness issued from the rift, masking the entrance of a demonic creature. As the black mist slowly dissipated, the creature was revealed. A towering humanoid dragon appeared, wreathed in the last clinging folds of the darkness, menacingly powerful. His veins were outlined in crimson, a sapphire adorned either shoulder, with a single large one placed upon his brow, and his curved leathery wings resembled a cape **(2800/2500)**. Gazing down at Ballista with cruel soul-piercing yellow eyes, the Lord spoke but a single word – "Doom". Despite himself, Ballista could not suppress a small shudder; although he knew that the Solid Vision hologram could not physically hurt him, its appearance was frightening nonetheless. "And there's mo-ore…" Bridget said teasingly. "When Van'Dalgyon is Special Summoned after one of my Counter Traps negates one of my opponent's Spells, Traps, or Monster Effects, it gains a special effect. However, the only one you need to worry about right now is what happens since I negated your Cannon Soldier's effect. Guess wha-at? I get to Special Summon one card from my Graveyard to the field, and it's going to be the one I discarded to activate Divine Wrath – the one, the only, _Blue-Eyes White Dragon!__"_

A roar ten times louder than that of Van'Dalgyon seemed to shake the ground beneath the duelists' feet as the most well known and rarest monster in Duel Monsters fell from the heavens to land with a deafening _THWUMP!_ Ballista gasped and paled as the dragon's cold eyes swung to focus on him **(3000/2500)**. "Wh-Where did you get that c-card? There are only 3 in the entire world, and all 3 belong to only one person!" Ballista stammered, shaken. Bridget smirked. "It's funny that you mentioned that, Billy. There's a special story behind this, but you don't need to know what it is." A wicked smile seemed to flicker on the dragon's lips before it roared again, causing Ballista's eyes to slit and his hair to wave from the powerful wind that was generated. Bridget's lip curled, her eyes as cold as flint as she spat "End your last pathetic turn, you spineless coward. You'll pay for trying to blackmail me." Ballista couldn't help but notice that his hands were trembling, but as he examined his hand, a weak smile appeared on his face. "Very well" he said, as he set one facedown. "I end my turn".

Bridget's face was full of grim concentration as drew a card. Then confusion, no indecision flitted over her face as she examined it. Closing her eyes, she seemed to deliberate for a second, then she declared "I summon Mirage Dragon in Attack Mode". A long golden dragon appeared in a flash of light. Parts of its body were see-through while other parts appeared solid. A curved crest sat on its head like some strange hat. It let out a reedy screech as it glared at Ballista **(1600/600)**. "You were right, Ballista. It _is_ time to end this duel! Mirage Dragon, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Van'Dalgyon the Dark Dragon Lord, attack him directly for the win!" Mirage Dragon arched its neck as golden energy gathered in its throat. Blue-Eyes White Dragon winked at him, that same wicked smile surrounding the blue-white energy that was barely contained within its mouth. Van'Dalgyon's sapphires lit up one by one, as the lines of red tracing his veins dimmed and jet-black fire began to lick at the corners of its mouth. As all three dragons unleashed their attacks, Ballista straightened, yelling defiantly "I activate the Trap Card Magic Cylinder, which reflects your attack and deals the damage to you instead!" As the holographic Trap began to rise, it was suddenly surrounded by a golden light that prevented it from activating. "What?" Ballista cried. "What happened to my Trap?" Bridget smirked again. "You are as much a fool as a coward, Billy. Mirage Dragon's special effect prevents my opponent – namely you – from activating any Traps during the Battle Phase!" Glancing at the translucent dragon, Ballista noticed that its crest was indeed radiating the same golden light that was holding his Trap in place.

"I-impossible", he said as he dropped to his knees. "I was winning. I had the perfect combo with Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon, Metamorphosis, Master of Oz, and my Catapult Turtle. How could I lose?" he cried as the three attacks struck him **(1600 + 3000 + 2800 = 7400)**. Once the sudden wind that was generated had died down, Ballista was stretched out on the ground, barely conscious, surrounded by his scattered cards. Sneering, Bridget said "You never really _had_ a chance of winning, Ballista. Only those who duel with courage or honor or for an honestly good reason win anyway. Those who win by any other way do not win at all. Besides, you should have known not to try to use my own dragon against me." Deactivating her Duel Disk, she scooped up her Red-Eyes and Red-Eyes Darkness Dragons and the Master of Oz that belonged to Duel Academy's old boxing instructor, turned, and exited the arena. Those with the gift of true sight would have noticed the Blue-Eyes White Dragon that turned grinning with her, a growling chuckle issuing from its throat.

-END

**Well, this is just a test to see what you guys think of my writing style. What do you think? Do I talk too much? Do use too many big words? Do I space my sentences incorrectly? Tell me what you think! If I get enough positive feedback, I'll get started writing the actual thing (yep, I just came up with this section on a hot day at my uncle's house lol). R & R!**


	2. Chapter 2

Ashes of the Phoenix test excerpt #2

"So, what are you going to do, Kieran?" Errol said, smirking. Pushing his glasses up on his nose for what seemed the thousandth time, Kieran Colraw assessed his situation once again. His opponent Errol Litper had his ultimate monster Super-Conductor Tyranno **(8/3300/1400)** facing him down, while he had not a single monster to defend him and 1 facedown. Worse still, he had no cards in his hand, while his opponent had six. Worst of all, Kieran's Deck now contained only his last 7 cards. Sighing, Kieran deliberated his next move.

**Kieran: 2000**

**Errol: 6500**

"Care to hurry this up before I need glasses too, or would you prefer to give up?" Errol said smoothly. "I'm not giving up, Errol," Kieran said wearily. "I'm thinking". "Well could you finish thinking some time in this century?" Kieran growled. "Fine. Couldn't hear myself think anyway." Looking down at his deck, he closed his eyes as he placed his fingers on the top card. _'It all comes down to this draw'_ he thought. Opening his eyes, he drew sharply, and then examined the new card. Smiling, he announced "I play Card of Sanctity, a Spell Card which would normally allow both of us to draw till we both had hands of six, but since you already have six, looks like I'll be the only one drawing anything." Drawing the last cards in his deck, his eyes widened as he studied them. "Errol," he said, "It's been real, but I'm afraid I win." Errol took a step back in surprise at Kieran's bold statement. Composing himself, he laughed, but with some uncertainty. "What are you talking about, Kieran? Nothing in those six cards could possibly defeat me!" Kieran cocked an eyebrow. "Wanna bet? I activate Silent Fiend, a Spell Card that allows me to Special Summon one Normal Monster from my Graveyard in face-up Defense position, at the cost of not being able to attack with it. I choose my Neo Aqua Madoor!" A golden light pulsed from the Graveyard slot on Kieran's Duel Disk, and then a beam of light deposited a blue-skinned, red-eyed wizard onto Kieran's field. His hair was a mass of blue spikes that waved as though he was underwater. He was dressed in a skintight purple bodysuit with tight black pants and fingerless gloves. As soon as he touched the field, he took a knee **(6/1200/3000)**. "Then I activate my facedown Call of the Haunted, allowing me to revive my Cybernetic Magician!" A tombstone rose out of the ground, a freshly dug grave in front of it. A purple mist rose from the grave and covered the field. Once it dissipated, a futuristic-looking white-robed wizard stood on the field. In his hand he carried a short rod with a blue gem on the end. Turning, he gave Kieran a thumbs-up, which he eagerly returned. **(6/2400/1000)**. "Next, I activate another Silent Fiend, but this time, I'm bringing back an old friend of ours - the one and only Dark Magician!" A circle of golden light flashed onto Kieran's field shimmering as it spun slowly. As it faded, the famous magician appeared, his staff crossed over his chest as he knelt. His black eyes glittered as he glared at Errol **(7/2500/2100)**.

"This laser show is pointless and boring," Errol said as he yawned. "Not even your precious Dark Magician can scratch my terrible lizard here." As if to punctuate his point, the black armor-plated reptile loosed a massive roar, causing a tiny crack to appear in the corner of Kieran's right lens. _'Plus, even if he somehow summons some powerful monster, I've got a Sakuretsu Armor ready to deal with him.'_ "Oh, they're not the ones that are going to do the scratching," Kieran chuckled. "I'll leave that up to these guys…By tributing 2 level 6 or higher Spellcaster Monsters, I can Special Summon my favorite monster from my hand! Meet the ultimate wizard of the Dark Magician order – the **_Sorcerer of Dark Magic!_**_"_ Neo Aqua Madoor and Cybernetic Magician sunk into twin portals that spun, then merged together to form a single large circle. A blue beam shot from the ground, and began to trace a symbol within the portal. Members of the audience oohed and aahed and stood , peering down at the platform with cries of "I can't see!" and "What the heck _is_ that?". Errol squinted against the glare of the beam, attempting to discern the nature of the symbol. As the beam completed its odd circuit, the symbol became clear: a large blue Eye of Wdjat! The symbol flashed and released a wall of light along its borders. When the light faded, a dark figure was revealed. The figure was like the Dark Magician, yet not the same. He possessed the same hat and robes, but both were now jet-black. His biceps were now bare, and thick bracers covered his forearms and wrists. His staff, the symbol of his order, now possessed three claw-like appendages at its tip, between which a small azure sphere hovered, suspended by some eldritch energy. A long ebony cloak completed the magician's new ensemble. Spinning his staff in a complex pattern, he settled into a fighting stance **(9/3200/2800)**. Errol hissed in surprise at the appearance of the powerful sorcerer, but he quickly settled down. _'I've still got the Sak Armor, so I should be safe'_ he thought to himself. "Hey, did your glasses fog up, Kieran? Your new monster is as much a nerd as the last one, and he still can't compare to my Tyranno. Attack me and that staff is going to be stuffed somewhere very uncomfortable. Just give up already!"

Kieran growled a little at the nerd comment, but replied "Oh, did I give the impression that I was finished? I'm sorry; let me clear that up **right now**. I activate the Spell Card known as Knight's Title, and tribute my Dark Magician to summon one of his more powerful forms – the Dark Magician Knight!" The already kneeling monster seemed to bow even further as a gleaming longsword appeared. As the wizard threw his staff to the side, the sword lowered and touched him on both shoulders. The wizard turned warrior straightened and grasped the sword, kissing the bright blade just above the hilt. As he did so, the sword erupted with energy, which flowed over him, melting then hardening his purple robes into a sleeker lighter purple armor. Two flaring pauldrons swept upwards from his shoulders, supporting an ebony and vermillion cape. His gloves hardened into strong gauntlets, and his forward pointing hat twisted backward into a curved helmet with a featherlike crest, with two wing-like cheek guards on either side of his head. Holding his new weapon horizontally in front of him, he grasped the glittering blade with his free hand. The adamantine blade instantly sublimated into pure energy as the warrior mage channeled his remaining power into it **(7/2500/2100)**. Errol scoffed, but his eyes betrayed his recurring uncertainty. "Well that was pathetic! That new monster has the same attack points as the old one! What was the bloody point?" Kieran smirked, pushing his glasses up once again. "Maybe he does, but that's not why I summoned him. You see, when Dark Magician Knight is successfully summoned, I can destroy one card on the field, such as your oversize lizard there!" "Nerd say whaaattt?" Errol cried. The crowd roared as the warrior threw his sword, spearing the massive reptile through the throat. Clutching at its wound, the Tyranno fell backwards as it dissolved into a shower of pixels. The abandoned sword, now lying on the ground, began to shake and shudder violently. Its hilt glowing blue, the sword flew back into the knight's open palm. Grinning at Errol, Kieran said smugly "You were saying?"

Errol opened his mouth, then shut it. His own throat was suddenly very dry. Then he remembered his facedown Trap and relaxed. Examining at his hand, he noticed that he had a Spell Card called Soul Release, which would allow him to remove 5 dinosaurs from his Graveyard. This would power up the Tyranno Infinity he would summon to 5000 attack points. Enough to crush the nerd, with 500 points to spare, once he took care of his more powerful monster, the Sorcerer of Dark Magic. Smiling, he opened his arms wide, saying "All right, all right, you got me. Go on, attack me. I'll get you next turn, since you can't finish me this turn. Your Dark Magician knight is too weak." Kieran chuckled, as if Errol had said something funny. "You're not going to _have_ a next turn, Errol. My Knight is too weak, eh? Let's see if we can't fix that. I activate the Equip Card Fusion Sword Murasame Blade. This card can only be equipped to a Warrior-type monster, which is why I'm equipping it to Dark Magician Knight. It boosts his Attack by 800, plus it can't be destroyed by card effects, so don't even think of using that Mystical Space Typhoon in your hand on it!" Errol paled as he glanced at the very same card. _'C-crap! How did he know?'_ A keen katana replaced the warrior's longsword, glowing with dark energy, which extended to the warrior himself, strengthening him **(2500 + 800 = 3300/2100)**. "Now, time to wrap things up! SoDoM, attack him directly with Celestial Black Burning!"

The powerful mage grasped his staff with both hands, focusing on the small blue sphere in the tip of his staff. It began to roil with power, and then it began to grow in size. Soon it was the size of a beach ball and crackling with energy. Raising the staff above and behind himself, he smashed it into the ground, sending the sphere rocketing towards Errol. _'Now's my chance!'_ Errol thought. "I activate my Trap Sakuretsu Armor, which will destroy your monster!" As the Trap started to rise, a living suit of spiked armor began to stand, lifting the trap off of itself. Its demonic face leered malevolently at Kieran as it rose taller. "Not so fast, Errol," Kieran said flatly. "I never gave you permission to activate any Traps. In fact, SoDoM, why don't you teach him who controls the Traps in this duel?" At his request, the black-robed sorcerer showed his teeth in a dark grin as he extended his open palm towards the spiked armor. Chains of dark energy ensnared the armor and snapped tight. "What in the bloody name of Ra is going on?" Errol yelled. "Sorcerer of Dark Magic controls which Traps activate and which don't. Those he doesn't like, he destroys. This one isn't going to help us, so let's get rid of it, SoDoM." The wizard nodded and, refocusing on the struggling armor, he closed his hand into a fist. The chains contracted into a tight bundle, instantly snapping the armor in half in a burst of pixels. "Now, I believe you were about to take some damage, Errol." The azure sphere engulfed Errol and dissipated in a bright flash, shocking him with a sharp pain.

**Errol: 3300**

**Kieran: 2000**

"Well, whadda you know? There's just enough for an exact win by Dark Magician Knight!" Kieran smirked. Then his eyes went cold and hard. "Dark Magician Knight, finish him with Sword of Dark Magic Attack!" The warrior began racing towards Errol, his katana held out behind him. About 20 yards from Errol, he grasped the katana with his other hand, and then leapt forward. Magically, he skimmed the ground without touching it, shooting towards his target at breakneck speed. "I can't believe I'm losing to a bloody nerd," Errol muttered just as the knight reached him, his muscles tensing for an upwards swing. Adjusting his glasses once more, Kieran turned his back, walking away as he called over his shoulder "These nerds have power, Errol. These nerds have power." A loud explosion preceded the sound of lifepoints dropping, after which Kieran's Duel Disk beeped a victory fanfare, acknowledging him as the victor.

**Errol: 0**

**Kieran: 2000, Winner**

Chuckling, Kieran exited the platform to the cheers of the audience, a little more pep in his step than usual.


End file.
